Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 346 The Immense Benefits of the Radiant Arena
Titus refused to admit defeat, which Su Li was naturally happy to see. He was willing to keep paying the ransom, and Su Li hoped that he could pay it three times.

That's a profit of 75 gold crowns! We don't need too many knights who pay the full ransom, just 10 knights, and that can provide another 750 gold crowns a day, which is exactly 30000 gold crowns a month.

With this income, Su Li wouldn't have to worry about insufficient funds; he could even support the entire Sulande province and provide assistance to Phyllis.

However, he did not underestimate the enemy in the battle; he had to take the methods of the Mannan followers seriously.

After Titus got up, he quickly used a potion to restore his condition, and then signaled his squire to hand over the ransom to the judge.

After the referee separated the two players and ordered the game to resume.

Titus glared fiercely at Su Li and roared, "You cowardly scum, today I'll show you the raging power of Mannan!"

"Divine Art: Drowned Face!"

As he prayed rapidly, Su Li instantly felt his lungs and nose fill with the salty smell of the sea, as if a drowned person had stuffed all their fear and memories of the sea into their head.

The power of divine magic is something that mortals simply cannot resist or dodge.

At this moment, Su Li was like a drowning person in the ocean, unable to make a sound and finding it extremely difficult to move.

At that moment, Titus, like a siren drifting in the waves, appeared out of nowhere behind Su Li with his trident, and thrust it down into Su Li's back!
In a flash, the red dragon blood within Su Li erupted once more, the raging flames instantly burning away the saline solution in his lungs. Then, Titus's body was struck as if by a heavy hammer, his knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily to his knees behind Su Li.

Titus was so angry that his eyes turned red. He shouted furiously, "Why is it this trick again? Isn't this just being a scoundrel? How can you reactivate your bloodline so quickly? Aren't you ever weakened? Burning your blood again and again like this, how come your blood vessels and body aren't charred!"

Su Li walked up to him, carrying his warhammer, and looked down at the stubborn, furious knight who was holding his head high. A smile appeared on his lips as he asked, "Are you done? If you are, I'm going to make my move."

Before Titus could answer, Su Li swung his warhammer and smashed it violently into Titus's chest. The next moment, the knight in dark blue armor was sent flying backward like a cannonball for more than ten meters, crashing heavily into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

As he was dazed and confused from the fall, Su Li stepped on his back again, laughing and saying, "Is this all the strength a knight of Mannan has? Completely incompetent!"

This was far too easy compared to his usual training.

To paraphrase a famous saying on Earth, my opponent's performance was a disservice to all my hard training.

Su Li had used his Blazing Blood ability in training before, but Hilde and Freya almost completely ignored it. Even when Freya wore Seraph's brass bells, at most her legs would go weak and she would bite her lips, but it was hard to say whether it was due to his ability or the pulling of Seraph's brass bells. As for Hilde, she completely ignored his ability and gave him the most rigorous training.

Even Thranville, under the influence of this ability, was able to use the momentum to slash her longsword upwards and launch a fierce counterattack.

Su Li fought Seranville more than ten times, and each time she used a different attack method.

Compared to the knights of the Church of the Goddess of the Sun, who place greater emphasis on martial arts, the knights of Mannan are undoubtedly less powerful in combat.

Su Li stepped on Titus's back and asked, "You don't only have one divine spell, do you? If so, you're not worthy to be my opponent."

Most knights only acquire their first divine spell upon reaching the elite level, but Titus was able to make it to the opening ceremony through the selection process, making him a knight who already possessed a divine spell at the official knight level.

But faced with Su Li's questioning, Titus's face turned pale and then red, unable to refute it, because his other divine spell was [Fisherman's Eye]!
[Fisherman's Eye - You gain a wondrous inspiration that allows you to find the creatures you seek in the sea. When casting the spell, utter the name of a common creature, and you will know the best location within your field of vision to find it. If you want to fish, that's where you should cast your line; if you want to dive for shellfish, that's where you should dive.]

Undoubtedly, this was an important ability of the Mannana priests to preach, guiding their people and believers to engage in more effective production along the coast and riverbanks, and to find the wealth of Mannana.

Unlike the Church of the Sun Goddess, which focuses entirely on war, the believers in Mannan also had to take into account navigation and production to a large extent.

Therefore, Titus had no choice but to activate his bloodline ability [Blazing Blood Shard Storm] at any cost, and a large number of diamond-hard ice shards attacked Su Li, each shard comparable to a powerful magic missile.

But amidst Titus's shocked gaze and the cheers of countless people around him, Su Li managed to shatter most of the fragments with his warhammer. Even the remaining fragments that struck Su Li could not cause fatal damage to him due to the protection of his sturdy armor.

Su Li calmly took a sip of the medicinal wine, then decisively swung his warhammer, knocking the Mannan knight down once again.

Seeing Su Li so thoroughly thrashing the Mannan knights, the cheers from the sidelines grew louder and louder. After all, the conflict between the territory and the Blue Mirror Territory was common knowledge. Seeing the knights of the Blazing Sun Church decisively defeat the Mannan knights, each heavy blow seemed like a violent outburst from countless people, making everyone's blood boil and their morale soar.

After Titus was completely crushed, Su Li walked to his side, shook his head, and said, "It's wise to give up. The difference in combat strength between the knights of Mannan and the knights of the Sun Goddess is insurmountable."

Titus's bloodshot eyes made the whole world seem red. Looking at Su Li's cold greaves, he felt as if the whole world was filled with blood and the will to kill.

He trembled all over, his body flushed crimson, and a majestic yet cruel voice seemed to echo in his ears: "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Use my generous reward to slaughter, mortals!"

To everyone's astonishment, Titus rose to his feet in an unbelievable manner, his waist bent like a bow, his limbs twisted—and the key point is that this bow was bent backward at nearly 90 degrees! He roared furiously as he rose, his body propelled by Su Li's greaves.

"Continue the fight!" Titus roared. "Pay the ransom, and I will kill you!"

The frenzied crowd did not notice anything amiss with Titus's condition, and continued their enthusiastic cheers and shouts.

Only the chief referee, Durmst, suddenly focused his gaze, turned his head to look here, and noticed the unusual blood-red color.

But just as he was about to get up, a sword hilt pressed down on his shoulder, and then a heroic voice rang out: "Don't interfere with the match; this is also a test for the knights."

Crimson lines spread wildly across Titus's exposed skin, bone spurs burst from his knuckles, and boiling blood mist seeped from the gaps in his armor. As his twisted spine delivered its final, sharp crack, he sprang up like a puppet on strings, his broken ribs groaning like bellows in his chest cavity.

Su Li's pupils constricted instantly. What he saw was no longer a human knight, but some kind of war machine cloaked in human skin—beneath Titus's shattered shoulder armor, dark red muscle fibers were proliferating and reorganizing at a visible speed.

"Blood sacrifice to the Blood God!" Titus's roar was accompanied by the scraping sound of metal. The trident drew an eerie arc, and before the cold light even arrived, a bloody gust of wind had already torn the stray hairs from Su Li's forehead. The slash, which should have been clumsy, was now as fast as a viper's hiss, leaving a trail of blood-red light.

In the instant the metal clashed, sparks flew as Su Li's greaves scraped against the stone pavement. For the first time, he was forced to retreat, his training hammer humming under the strain as he parried. The blood mist, as if alive, climbed up the hammer handle, corroding the handguard and leaving charred marks.

The roar from the audience reached its peak. When Titus shouted "Blood sacrifice to the Blood God," everyone realized what had happened. The monster's blood had already outlined a crimson eight-pointed star emblem on its armor.

This is the mark of the Blood God Khorne! In the Old World, when a person's emotions fluctuate intensely, it is the best opportunity for an evil god to take advantage of their vulnerability.

“Your warhammer groans, you hound of the sun.” Titus’s vocal cords seemed stuffed with shards of glass, his laughter a metallic, rattling noise. His left eye was completely bloodshot, while the right half of his face retained its human, grotesque expression. “It will scream even more when I pull your spine out!”

Su Li immediately discarded the training hammer, and the referee promptly tossed him a real runic warhammer. The territory had anticipated the chaos cultists' disruption.

The moment Su Li grasped the warhammer, a burst of intense light erupted from his palm.

"Then give it a try, you bastard!" Su Li's voice pierced through the blood-red storm: "Let me unleash my full power!"

The next moment, Su Li decisively activated the Blazing Blood state, which boosted his speed in all aspects.

Even though Titus was already corrupted by chaos, his blood-red pupils trembled violently as he stared at Su Li in disbelief: "How can you use the Blazing Blood ability again? Aren't you weakened?"

Su Li's lips curled up slightly. "What do you think is the purpose of all this farming? Isn't it to be able to sweep everything aside?"

He just ate a Stardew Orange, and all negative effects will be eliminated!

The next moment, the blazing light from the sun surged from his body, and amidst the cheers of countless spectators, he raised his warhammer and smashed it down on the monster's head. Now he had nothing to fear; eliminating demons required no rules!
The warhammer, burning with intense flames, slammed down on the monster's head, but the monster merely swayed. Its powerful and resilient body did not fall. Rage and hatred flowed through the wound like a river of boiling blood, and then Khorne's blessing manifested in red flesh, cruel horns, and weapons filled with hellish heat.

He roared and swiftly swung his burning trident at Su Li, a strike so fast that there was no way to avoid it.

Su Li decisively activated the powerful runes on the armor, and the powerful backlash energy instantly severed a piece of the monster's bloodline.

At this moment, Su Li displayed unparalleled strength, with every aspect of him pushed to its limits. Whether it was his powerful defense, his exceptional martial arts skills, or the enhancements from various equipment, in his Blazing Blood state, he was practically a tyrant. However, the powerful protection of the Goddess of the Sun kept him calm, allowing him to make the most composed decisions and launch the most perfect attacks.

Although Titus was indeed corrupted by the blood god Khorne, he was not qualified to receive the blood god's blessing with his strength. It was merely a personal mutation, and he had no way to fight against Su Li's near-champion-level strength when he unleashed his power.

In the heat of battle, Su Li smashed his body to pieces with his warhammer, the tip of the hammer piercing through his armor, and countless snow streaks gushed from the wound.

The glory of executing the demon shook the entire arena! All eyes in the Lion Ring were on this place, filled with fervent cheers and applause.

The people of the empire are truly resilient; even after such a terrible mutation, it did not stop them from excitedly watching the games and continuing their lives.

The entire celebration was not significantly affected and continued to proceed in an orderly manner.

Instead, it made Su Li famous, making him one of the most popular knights on the first day of the competition, and earning him a glorious nickname: Burning Gold Hammer - The Ruthless One!
The name "Burning Gold Hammer" perfectly captures his characteristics.

Firstly, the character "焚" (Fen) symbolizes his bloodline abilities and the aura of a tyrannical, bloodthirsty ruler.

Gold represents his wealth, and after two battles, his opponents have been unable to probe his true strength. He can rely entirely on his superior equipment and wealth to maintain his peak condition.

Especially in the second round against Yurik's knights, the opponent was practically in tears of anger. Yurik's knights came from a harsh, cold land, and were relatively poor. After the battle, the opponent was severely weakened, with very few potions to recover, and even their Bloodlust ability was almost completely depleted.

Su Li, however, easily replenished her health and mana, and then fought him again. This infuriated him, and he cursed the Fiery Goddess Knight for his shamelessness.

But this drew laughter from the arena, who took it as pure praise.

The followers of the Goddess of the Sun prefer to gain an overwhelming tactical advantage before the battle even begins, thus securing victory.

With this fighting style, Su Li was truly "burning gold," consuming a large amount of resources, which allowed him to easily crush his opponent.

His warhammer shone with the brightest light from beginning to end; the title "Goldburnter" was truly well-deserved.

The first day of the Glorious Arena undoubtedly provided the spectators with a thrilling and exciting experience. Not only were there spectacular battles between the knights and a variety of breathtaking martial arts skills, but there were also unexpected victories against demons – a feast for the eyes that they could boast about for a long time afterward.

With the first day of competition concluded, the top 24 out of the 32 teams were quickly determined, while the remaining 8 spots would be contested in the loser's bracket on the following day. This ensured that no promising Cavalier would be eliminated prematurely due to their group placement.

After the competition, the victors were carried by countless cheering believers and paraded through the city in celebration before entering taverns to drink and boast.

The taverns were filled with the constant, clear ringing of copper bells—a special feature to celebrate and announce that a gambler who had won a huge bet was inviting everyone to drink.

While the knights, spectators, and gamblers enjoyed drinks at the tavern, Su Li, beaming with joy, began taking inventory in the Forbidden City.

Premier Oliver personally and excitedly reported his achievements of the day to him!
From the very beginning, the prime minister, who was known for his composure and iron-fisted approach, could not contain his excitement.

"My lord, we've struck it rich today! The sound of gold coins rolling in fills every vault in the territory's treasury district!"

"Our casino revenue alone amounts to 17577 gold crowns!"

"How much?" Su Li excitedly stood up from his chair, his hands gripping the conference table, and looked excitedly at Dean Oliver, who was reporting to him.

17577 gold crowns?

This is only the first day! Even if the next eight days follow a declining trend, the territory can still make a fortune of 10 gold crowns through this Sun Goddess celebration.

This gain is equivalent to winning a hard-fought Green Dragon War!

But in reality, it certainly won't decrease linearly every day. It might decline in the middle due to wealth transfers, but by the time it reaches the quarterfinals or even the finals, the size of the bet will definitely increase further!
Fandral confirmed, “The casino’s revenue and our territory’s taxes combined amounted to 17577 gold crowns! It is estimated that at least 5 gold crowns were involved in the gambling of these tens of thousands of people. Many of our guests and merchants also participated in this feast; for example, the envoy of the dwarven king wagered more than 3000 gold crowns.”

"This was absolutely a carnival that everyone will remember. Those who won the gamble became rich overnight, while those who lost could still enjoy the feast. Thousands of knights and adventurers went home satisfied today."

The people of the empire love exciting lives and lively festivals, so today's revelry and excitement will definitely leave them with lasting memories and make them reluctant to leave.

After reporting that, Fandral continued, "We also received 2756 gold crowns from the ransom. This number seems small because many knights signed loan agreements; we loaned out 5728 gold crowns today alone."

"Many knights were eliminated directly and were no longer eligible to participate. So we gained 27 elite knights, 49 official knights, and 46 apprentice knights."

"Hahaha, doesn't this mean we gained a squadron of knights without paying much in terms of actual wealth?" Su Li laughed so hard he couldn't stop.

Today was absolutely a great day!

At this rate, by the end of the Glorious Arena, Su Li might have gained nearly five squadrons of knights! His direct high-ranking squires would double in number. This would save him tens of thousands of gold crowns in recruitment costs!
Previously, he was worried about how to advance the war with Blue Mirror Lake while simultaneously organizing manpower to participate in the Empire's Great Expedition.

His territory's directly subordinate army consisted of just over two thousand elite infantry and cavalry, and after launching the war against Blue Mirror Lake, he couldn't spare many men to participate in the Great Expedition.

For Su Li, assembling a large expeditionary legion and leading a massive force of knights to Maleburg in response to the Empire's call was of great importance. It would not only enhance his prestige but also bring him immense honor.

According to intelligence, the Imperial Marshal will reward his exemplary conduct, and the Church of the Sun Goddess will send a devout priest to Black Forest Territory to spread its glorious doctrines.

He originally planned to announce the news of this grand expedition at the awards ceremony after the finals, and at the same time call on the knights to participate.

However, a legion that only has responding knights but no main force of its own is undoubtedly unsuitable. In the end, the general who commands this legion will not be able to command others without the core army pillar.

With the addition of these knights, the problem of insufficient military strength in the territory will undoubtedly be greatly alleviated.

If things go well, with another call from Su Li, he might be able to expand the territory's legion to three thousand elite infantry and cavalry once again.

The Church Knights would certainly participate in such a grand expedition. With members of the Sun Crown Knights and the Light Arrow Knights added, the legion would be quite large, estimated to be between 2000 and 3000 men.

This is already a very typical legion structure. In the Old World, a standard legion of any faction has a size of between 2000 and 3000 people.

Knights from the Hessian Territory, serving as generals and leading such a massive expeditionary force, were the first to join the Great Expedition to Maléburg, and naturally received excellent treatment and special attention.

So Su Li turned to Hilde and said, "My steward, immediately begin training these knights and prepare them for the Holy Expedition."

Hilde replied calmly, “My lord, please rest assured, we will stabilize morale as soon as possible and train them into a reliable force. However, my suggestion is to select a legion commander for the expeditionary force as soon as possible and let him take over the management of these people immediately.”

“Let’s go with Gilles.” Su Li made his decision after a moment’s consideration, saying, “His abilities are enough to unite the various forces and stabilize morale. At the same time, let Knight Connor be the deputy legion commander, leading the Crimson Night Knights as the backbone of the legion.”

The Crimson Night Knights are the symbol of the Bauhinia family, and this grand expedition is also aimed at making the Black Forest and the Bauhinia family famous.

Hilde immediately asked, "What about the Blacksteel Knights of Atonement? Gilles is the Grand Master of the Blacksteel Knights of Atonement. He is leading the army in the Great Expedition, so there will be no one to lead the Blacksteel Knights of Atonement."

"Let Garsen serve as acting commander." This knight's command skills are also outstanding, and he deserves to be promoted exceptionally.

As the number of cities in the territory increases in the future, more talented people will be needed to serve as garrison commanders. It is undoubtedly a good thing to train their abilities in advance.

Furthermore, Garsen's absence from this year's Glorious Games makes him a perfect candidate for direct appointment.

(End of this chapter)